by Isabella Santini

It is the night of Thanksgiving, and you are surrounded by those you love and dishes scattered all around with food that has been bitten to the bone. Though the food remains digesting in your stomach and you feel your exhaustion creeping in your eyelids, you stay persistent, as you know in a few hours you will have to stand outside in the cold, awaiting your local retail stores’ opening for their tremendous sales of the holiday season. A time in which you see everyone in your town lining up patiently for a store’s lights to turn on and employees anxiously approaching their doors for the inevitable opening when the sun is yet to rise: Black Friday.

Black Friday years ago felt so incredibly profound, with organized arrangements needed to ensure a safe, successful mission in the middle of the night to acquire accessories and clothing. Yet, the extent to which online websites and advertisements have reached across platforms has led to an uprising among those staying home comfortably as they browse vicariously through sales, rather than feeling the pressure to bundle up in the cold in the middle of the night to stand outside. This may be a safer and reassuring way to discover as many deals as possible and order what they please at their own pace but people remain conflicted about whether such ease in the online retail space is worth the noticeable decline in sales during such a season.

Speaking with students across High Tech, they shared their strong opinions and issues with the online Black Friday shopping network compared to the traditional in-person Black Friday. Asking around to the Senior Class, “Do you think online Black Friday shopping is better now because it is more secluded or do you prefer the frantic, in person shopping, with people often rushing to acquire the sales,” the majority agreed to reminiscing on a time in which sales were higher and people were more enthusiastic about the holiday. 

Bella Laviola, a Culinary major, recalls, “I miss seeing videos of people trampling each other.” Along with her, Eleni Vlachos, a DFAB major, and Lena Planche-Odry, a MVA, both agree with Bella, saying, “I think the deals were better in person, compared to the deals online now that are a lot less. It was entertaining going to the store and having to get up early to actually go. Stuff does not sell out as fast as it used to.” They each describe how the shipping process can be avoided by going in person to shop for the Black Friday deals, as you wouldn’t have to pay for the shipping costs and then wait patiently at home for your package to arrive from your Black Friday shopping if you were to go in person and physically obtain the item.

Black Friday has a reputation across the country for provoking physical encounters among pedestrians, as they shove and push for the discounted items scattered about.  Katia Bacha, a DFAB major, chimes in with her opinion, sharing how the physical aspect of Black Friday is what the expectation is for such late-night, early-morning rapid shopping. “You’re supposed to pull people’s hair and slap them across the face if you want to get what you are coming for when it comes to Black Friday shopping.” 

Alana Mabanua, a Culinary major, tells, “I think it was better when everybody was hopping on top of each other because that was the fun of it all. It gave people something to look forward to every Black Friday, and the way they would stand in line early in the morning, it was so different then.” Although this holiday is more accessible to people with internet access, she believes it took the spirit out of what people would typically do to prepare for and move forward with their Black Friday plans. She says it was nostalgic to see all of the empty shelves during the season when she was a child. 

A frequent issue commonly associated with this holiday is the lack of sales presented online. People say previous sales of the last two decades were much more profound in person, especially for technology and television sales. Online shopping websites seem to have minimal sales constantly, with websites like Edikted and Evry Jewels consistently promoting their clothes to be on sale to attract buyers; these small percentages of sales are then reciprocated amongst numerous websites during Black Friday, leaving customers dissatisfied, as there seems to be no difference between the sales throughout the year and the sales of Black Friday, a holiday centered around the discount of items and their prices.

The tradition of the holiday in itself has seemingly diminished with the development of modern websites marketed to all age groups across their social media platforms all year-round. We will see if this Black Friday, people decide to bring back the tradition of staying up all night to arrive at dawn at their favorite retail stores on sale, or if they choose to sleep in and await their sales online.

Samantha Moreno

Every Thanksgiving morning, millions of Americans gather around their televisions (or bravely face the freezing streets of New York City) to see gigantic balloons fly through Manhattan. Marching bands provide music and Santa Claus ushers in the holiday season. It's the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a tradition as warm as pumpkin pie and as festive as a holiday sweater. But how did this historic event come about?

It all started in 1924, when Macy's employees, many of whom were immigrants, wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving in the way they were used to: with large, street celebrations similar to those found in Europe. They submitted the idea to their supervisors, and Macy's approved it. The initial parade featured a variety of floats, marching bands, and live animals loaned from Central Park Zoo. Yes, there were lions and elephants strolling through the streets of New York!

The inaugural parade was a huge success, with over 250,000 people attending, and Macy's decided to make it an annual event. In 1927, the live animals had been replaced with the first enormous balloons. That year, Felix the Cat was the first of several larger-than-life characters to ascend to the skies. The helium-filled stars grew so popular that, in the 1930s, Macy's began releasing them into the air following the parade, offering prizes for their return. 

But, the parade has faced its fair share of obstacles over the years. During World War II, from 1942 to 1944, it was halted, and all helium and rubber from the balloons were contributed to the war effort. However, by 1945, it had returned in full force, even becoming a live TV broadcast, marking its popularity worldwide.

The parade's cast of cherished characters evolved along with the decades. The parade has maintained its nostalgic appeal while keeping up with pop culture, from Pikachu to the Pillsbury Doughboy. Behind the scenes, the event requires meticulous choreography, innumerable volunteers, and over a year of planning, with floats constructed right down the road here in Secaucuse, NJ. 

Celebrities set to perform and make appearances this year include Bishop Briggs, Chlöe, Dan + Shay, Jimmy Fallon & the Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Ariana Madix, Idina Menzel, the Temptations, and T-Pain. 

Every year casts from some of Broadway's biggest shows step onto the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade stage to bring their talents to the whole country. This year's official national broadcast will include performances from the Great White Way's Death Becomes Her, Hell’s Kitchen, and The Outsiders, as well as the iconic Radio City Rockettes.

Naturally, it's all building to the enchanting moment when Santa arrives and the holiday season is formally launched, because inviting jolly old St. Nick to the Big Apple is the epitome of "Happy Thanksgiving"!